Home and Away
by diva.gonzo
Summary: One-shot. Complete. Written for hpshipweeks on Tumblr. This is a Potter-centric story, concerning Teddy and James departure to Hogwarts this week. How would Al handle having his big brothers gone off to Hogwarts? This fic is rated T, for artificial lemon flavor at the end, courtesy of fanartist stilesstays artwork which influenced the last section. Cover art by Anxiouspineapples.


**A/N:** Written for Hogwarts start week, when James Sirius went off to school with Hufflepuff Head Boy Teddy Lupin. - _DG_

* * *

Al sat at the dinner table reading his book while Lily was playing over at Gramma's house with Lucy and Hugo and Louis. Ginny washed dishes in the sink since Harry was off at work. Lily was shipped off to play with her cousins while Al finished his lessons for the day.

"Al, why don't we go to Diagon Alley and get some sweets once you're finished with your lessons?"

Al turned the page in his book and sighed. "We don't have to, Mum. I'm not that hungry."

Ginny pulled her wand from her apron and set the rest of the dishes in the sink to scrub. "You miss him, don't you?"

"Yeah but don't tell him. Teddy knows but James will never let me live it down, maybe."

"And Lily's not the same, is she?"

"No. I know you said I've got 2 years to wait even if I'm only 13 months younger than that git. I'm up to date on my lessons, further along than he is."

"If you want to be upset about it, be mad at me. Your father and I tried everything to get you to pop out but you just wouldn't budge. I flew, I ate bad sweets from Uncle George," Ginny blushed at the one thing they tried which was nice but didn't yield results either, not for a lack of trying, "and we took lots of walk up and down the hedgerow with James in a pram but you just weren't coming out. Grandmum said you were as stubborn as Uncle Charlie, refusing to budge 'til he was good and ready. So, instead of the Healer decided date of the 27th of August, you were a fortnight later, coming on the 10th of September. So be mad at me that we didn't force the healer to take you out earlier."

He looked at his mum for a moment before looking back at the book.

"So what else is bothering you? You take after your father that way, getting a case of the grumps from time to time."

"I don't."

Ginny looked at her younger son and smirked. "I've only been with your father for seventeen years now and been friends much, much longer. If I say you take after him, I mean it."

Al kept playing with the biscuits on his plate. He wouldn't answer her.

"How do you think Aunt Hermione felt? She was the oldest in her class, so she said. I'm sure she can help you there. "

"Yeah, but she was a Muggleborn and didn't know she was a witch until she turned 10 and Auntie McGonagall showed up one day and gave her the book and explained things. We've known who we are since we saw you using magic as kids."

"Well, smaller kids. You're still a kid." She picked up a biscuit from his plate and popped it into her mouth.

"I'm almost as tall as you."

"I'm still your mother and you won't sass me. Besides," she smirked, "you're not there yet. I've still got at least two years before you're taller than I am."

Al shrunk down under his mother's withering gaze. "Yes, Mum."

"Now, do you want to go to Diagon Alley for sweets? Or would you like to do something else fun instead?"

"Mum?"

Ginny watched the rest of the dishes finish under her wand and settle into stacks on the sideboards. "Yes, dear?"

"Do you have to go to work today?"

"No, love. I don't have to go until Saturday morning for the weekend in Holyhead. The season doesn't start for another 2 weeks but I have to interview some of the ladies on the team."

"Can I come with you when you go?"

"I thought you hate Quidditch, dear? You rather stay home and in your books."

"I don't hate it. I just hate how James annoys me so much because I like the Harpies. He says they are a crummy team, unlike Daddy's favorite team."

"Daddy's team hasn't won a league championship in three years. Mummy's team has."

Al smiled.

"How about we grab a couple of brooms and take a spin around the stadium, just us? How's that sound?"

"Can we?" He perked up immediately.

"Sure. I know the owner. He won't mind if we are there just for fun. You can ride the cleansweeps we got for you and James. You're not quite old enough for the Nimbus line, not yet, and certainly not for my Firebolt."

Al closed his book and saw the kitchen was clean. "Mum, why aren't we allowed to help clean the kitchen?"

Ginny chortled to echo through the house. "Sweetie, you don't even bring me plates from the den. Why would I think you'd help in here?"

He frowned and muttered something under his breath.

"What was that? I couldn't quite catch it."

"I want to help," he blushed slightly, "but James said it's women's work."

"Oh he did, huh?" Ginny shoved her chin out at Al's comment.

"Yeah, that's why he makes Lily bring our stuff back. I know she doesn't mind."

"Let's get one thing straight, ok? There is no such thing as women's work and men's work. You see how Daddy helps wash dishes when I cook dinner?"

Al nodded.

"And when we have a treat of takeaway, I tidy up?"

Al nodded again.

"Daddy works a lot of hours, taking care of us but he does other things, too, like washing clothes and scrubbing toilets. So don't let that git of a brother tell you that it's women's work or elf responsibility."

"Really?"

"I reckon that when he returns home for Christmas Hols and you've earned the bigger bedroom, he'll know better, right?"

"I have to earn it?"

"You do. Since Daddy works so much, and it's you and me and Lily home this year, you do chores and you'll earn the room. He can get shoved into Lily's room. Fair trade for being a prat, I reckon."

Al smiled brightly. "How can I earn it?"

"Helping in the kitchen by learning to cook and wash dishes. I dunno if Gramma ever told you but your uncles and I had to help daily around the house, from washing dishes, laying out the table for dinner, making bread, or cleaning the parlour." Ginny winked. "You kids have it pretty easy compared to what your Uncle Ron and I had going on. I don't even make you get eggs from the coop out back, do I?"

"No, you don't." Al smiled again. "Do you think Uncle Neville can join us today?"

"Probably not. Since term started he's teaching again and won't be free for a few weeks. But I bet we can owl him and ask when he has a weekend free for you."

Ginny took off her Harpies apron. "Now go get on a jumper while I grab a jacket and our brooms. Maybe we can let you ride James broom since he won't need it this year."

"But why did Dad get to fly his first year when no one else is allowed?"

"I'll tell you about it when we're at Holyhead."

* * *

"Potters! Where are you?"

Harry stepped into the kitchen of his home and heard nothing going on. He put down his bag and saw that dinner wasn't cooked and there wasn't takeaway under a warming charm on the countertop.

He walked into their den and saw three heads crashed out. Lily, who took after her Mum's messy red hair, was asleep in the couch, cuddled under a snitch blanket. Ginny had her head back, softly snoring, a wisp of hair curled around her nose. And his other son, Albus, the one most like him in personality but not upbringing, was asleep across Ginny's lap, a leg hanging off the couch while his arm covered his face.

Harry checked his watch and saw it was half seven – a little late for him but not so late they'd be crashed out, dead to the world.

He took a step and his shoe heel squeaked across the wood floor. Brown eyes opened silently with a wand pointed at him. Harry raised his hands in surrender. "You have a magical tattoo, of a snitch, somewhere on your body. Last time I saw it, it was on your arse. I caught the snitch exactly how I caught my first one."

Ginny lowered her wand and smiled.

Harry came over and knelt down in front of her, letting the kids sleep. "Dead asleep at half seven?"

"Lily was at Mum's, playing with Lucy, Louis, and Hugo. Al was feeling rather blue so he and I went to Holyhead and flew on the brooms for a bit."

"No wonder why they are knackered. Want me to take Al to his bed?"

"Sure and then this weekend, I'm moving the kids over one and James can have the smaller one, since he's off at school now."

"What gives there?"

"Oh, he's just him being a prat, like Ron. I figure he'll change his tune in short order once he realizes that tending house is a team effort, not where he can bully his siblings into doing certain roles, and not a women's work."

Harry leaned over and picked up Al from Ginny's lap. Albus was small in stature; thin as a bean pole with all arms and legs for the most part, but easy enough to lift up. Al whimpered in his sleep before snuggling into his father's arms. "I'll get him tucked into bed while you wrestle with that handful," he cheeked.

"I will in a moment. I have to get some circulation back in my legs."

Ginny stood and stretched. Harry smirked at how her body moved under the sleep trousers, thin vest and jumper she wore on September evenings. "Later," she retorted before he ascended the stairs of their modest cottage.

Ginny went to her daughter and saw her fast asleep. Her auburn hair was everywhere, having come out of her plait on her head. She took after the other Prewett women, a little bit stockier than her brother but knew she'd eventually catch up. But Harry said that she took after her Grandmother, at least according to Great-Aunt Petunia. _"She looks a lot like Lily did, as a child, except heavier set. But those are her eyes and eye shape."_ Harry beamed at the compliment while Ginny bristled at the veiled insult.

Ginny hoisted her daughter up on her shoulder and she whinged a little and cried for a moment before falling back asleep. She lifted her feet softly up each step to the landing, going to the room on the left. The boys had their rooms across the hall, sharing a wall, while Lily had the one on the other side of the loo. Throw in that each room was fitted with the new generation of Extendable ears and the kids could be heard if there was a problem, even now. Only Lily shared her Mum's occasional insomnia.

Ginny kicked the door open to Lily's room and saw the mess on the floor: stuffed Dragons lay everywhere along with her trainers in the corner. Only her bed was tidy, which boggled the rest of them – the bed had to be made every morning. The rest of the room could look like hell but the bed must be tidy.

Ginny pulled her wand and used magic to lift the bedclothes away before laying her precious daughter down. Another flick and the sheets and duvet fell back down over her beloved child.

"Sleep well," she whispered with a kiss on her daughter's forehead and turned for the door. Harry was standing in the doorway smiling at her.

"She'll sleep 'til six, probably. Mum said that she ran all over the house and yard playing with the older kids."

"Al too, probably. He didn't even stir when I put him in his bed."

They closed the door and made their way back downstairs to the kitchen.

"Glass of wine, perhaps."

Ginny walked up behind her greying husband and wrapped her arms around his midsection. "I'd rather have an evening with you."

"Mind if I have a sandwich first? I haven't eaten since lunch."

Ginny let go and stepped in front of her husband. "I thought I could be dinner and then the meal could be supper." She winked salaciously.

Harry laughed. "It's so good to be home." He leaned over and claimed her lips for his own.

* * *

Ginny pulled the jumper over her chest, slinking down past her ample hips. Harry was out for the night but she was wide awake now. He'd been tired when he got home, at least to her eyes. He pushed papers and she dealt with energetic children. He ran with recruits and she made lunches. All in all, he had the harder job.

She drifted out of their room to go into the kitchen for a spot of tea. The house was quiet, almost too quiet now that Teddy and now James were off at Hogwarts for the term. She knew the days were coming where she'd pack off her children – all of them, including the one that she willingly accepted – and have to accept that they were growing up and possibly not need her. No, that wasn't true. She learned that from Mum even after the row with her when she moved out, to a flat in Holyhead but shared many a night with Harry. Those nights, the few and far between where they'd only have a few hours together before he was off on a mission, or she was out on tour for a month away from England.

Those nights away made her realize how much she did miss her Mum.

After Mum's kidnapping, she made a habit to go visit weekly unless she was out of country. If she was, she'd firecall at least twice a week, just to check in.

And now? Three children of her own, along with a fourth that she was honor bound to help raise as best as possible – they were slowly heading off to school, needing her less and less. But if she raised her children like Mum raised her, then she'd consider it a complete success.

The kettle whistled and she took it off the burner, putting a ball of tea in her steaming cup. Aroma drifted up and she went to find a touch of sugar and milk for it, intending to sit up a spell and read until she drifted off to sleep, unlike her dear husband who passed out minutes after they shared so many moments of bliss.

She walked into their bedroom and closed the door, holding her cup of tea in her hand and a book in the other. He was sprawled on top of the bedclothes, left almost exactly where he rolled over from her afterwards.

She settled into her side of the bed and pulled the extra duvet from the foot of the bed and laid it over his still shapely bum while also covering her legs and lap. He snored a second before shifting and drifting back to quiet sleep.

Ginny reached over and tussled his hair again, earning an appreciative growling moan.

Ginny smiled at the thought that it hadn't been hard to give Harry the home he'd always wanted.


End file.
